Pop star Elton John and his partner David Furnish own the greatest privately held collection of 20th century photography, according to London’s Independent[2]. The newspaper wonders if John’s collection — which will be displayed at the Baltic Centre of Contemporary Art[3] in September — is an indication that celebrity collectors have too much influence over today’s art world.

The Independent’s Andrew Johnson, dubbing celebrities like John the “new Medicis,” asserts:

Not everyone is appreciative of the new Medicis … Mutterings in the art world accuse them of driving up prices by competing against each other — pricing out public galleries, which now face historical gaps in collections…